This invention relates to sanitizing chemical composition that can be used on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as on hard surfaces that come in contact with food thereby reducing the risk of illness caused by harmful chemical residues and/or infectious contaminating microorganisms. The invention further helps to increase the shelf life or keeping qualities of food by reducing the population of spoilage microorganisms carried on the surface of the food.
Most common antimicrobial products accomplish reduction of microbial populations on food and hard food contacting surfaces by oxidation of the target microorganism. To accomplish this common antimicrobial products of this type contain or utilize compounds having highly oxidizing compounds such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid, ozone, hydrogen peroxide used to reduce microbial population on food. These oxidizing chemicals inactivate microorganisms by reacting with their organic material. However, these chemicals can also react deleteriously with organic food material and other compounds to produce unknown chemical residues which may be harmful to health. For instance studies have indicated that hypochlorite (chlorine) produces carcinogenic residues on food in certain situations.
An additional drawback of these common antimicrobial oxidative products are compositions which generally lack significant detergent action or cleaning properties. Thus it is often necessary to employ several materials in potentially multi-step cleaning processes to remove all undesirable material and residue from the foodstuff or hard food contacting surface.
Most chemical products suitable for use on foodstuff or hard food contact surfaces do not have significant antimicrobial and microbicidal properties. Sanitizing products which exhibit significant antimicrobial and/or microbicidal properties have historically been considered unsafe or suspect as containing ingredients which are not classified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) for food contact or as a food additive.
Various other sanitizing products require incorporation of additional antibacterial compounds in the preparation to inhibit or kill microorganisms. Such commercial sanitizing products are permitted for use on food contact hard surfaces. However, they cannot be used on fruits and vegetables as they have certain components that are expressly prohibited for use on fresh foods by regulatory agencies.
Additionally, it is economically or logistically necessary to store and ship such sanitizing preparations as concentrate liquids or solids which can be dissolved or diluted to a suitable use solution. Various known formulations can exhibit cloudiness, opalescence or precipitate when diluted with tap water. This phenomenon can interfere with the optimal function of the sanitizing solution.
Thus it would be highly desirable to provide a sanitizing composition which was composed entirely of components approved by regulatory agencies such as the US FDA for use on both fresh fruits and vegetables. It is also desirable that the aforementioned solution be capable of achieving cleaning and sanitizing of food contacting hard surfaces thereby providing a composition which can be utilized for various cleaning and sanitizing operations with increased efficiency and economy. It is also desirable that to provide a cleaning and sanitizing composition which can be prepared and stored in a highly concentrated form increasing ease in storage and transport. It is also desirable that the sanitizing material be suitable for use in automatic dispensing operations thereby eliminating risks involved in manual handling. It is also desirable that the composition be one, which results in a clear solution without opalescence, cloudiness or precipitate particularly when a concentrated form of the composition is diluted with water.
In accordance herewith, there is provided a class of chemical compositions or agents that can be used to prepare antimicrobial detergent compositions for cleaning surfaces of food products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, sprouts, eggs, carcasses and other food surfaces in order to prevent, to reduce or to eliminate the risk of infection and illness arising from microbial contamination and harmful chemical residues. The compositions can also be employed to reduce spoilage microorganisms present on the surface of such food products thereby increasing keeping qualities of food. The compositions can also be used to clean and disinfect inanimate food contact and non-food contact surfaces.
The antimicrobial cleaning composition contains:
A. an acidifying agent which is present either as an individual acid or as a mixture of acids, the acidifying agent or agents being selected from chemical compounds classified as GRAS or suitable for use as food additive by the US FDA;
B. at least one surface active agent selected from surface active chemicals approved by the US FDA and the USDA for use on food products as well as for use on food-contacting hard surfaces; and
C. at least one chelating agent selected from chemicals classified as GRAS or suitable for use as food additive by the US FDA.
The composition of the present invention may also include at least one carrying agent compatible with the aforementioned compounds. The carrying agent typically functions as a suitable diluent and is present in liquid, powder or gel form to dissolve or disperse or suspend the above aforementioned ingredients.
The composition may include other compatible ingredients, which do not reduce or interfere with the antimicrobial and cleaning properties. Certain ingredients such as organic and inorganic salts, urea, which may enhance the cleaning properties, may also be incorporated. The composition may additionally include compounds from among coloring agents, antioxidants, fragrances, vitamins, nutritive agents and thixotropic agents as well as any combination of the above.
The cleaning and sanitizing composition of the present invention may be employed in either a concentrated composition or in a ready-to-use formulation. The cleaning and sanitizing composition contains:
A. an acidifying agent, present either as an individual compound or as a mixture of at least two compounds;
B. at least one surface active agent;
C. at least one sequestering or chelating agent; and
D. a carrier compatible with the acidifying agent, surface active agent and chelating agent, the carrier present in sufficient quantity to contain the acidifying agent, surface active agent and chelating agent.
The acidifying agent, surface active agent, chelating agent, and carrier are each selected from chemical compounds which are classified as GRAS or suitable for use as food additive by the US FDA or, at minimum, approved for use on food-contacting surfaces.
The acidifying agent is at least one compound selected from acetic acid, adipic acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, dehydroacetic acid, erythorbic acid, fumaric acid, glutaric acid, gluconic acid, hyaluronic acid, hydroxyacetic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid, tannic acid, tartaric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfamic acid, carboxylic acid polymers, homo- or hetero- polymerized alpha hydroxycarboxylic acid such as polylactic acid or poly lactic-glycolic acid and mixtures of two or more of said acids.
Preferably, the acidifying agent is at least one compound from the group which includes acetic, adipic, ascorbic, citric, dehydroacetic erythrobic, fumaric, glutaric, gluconic, hyaluronic, glycolic, lactic, malic, succinic, sulfamic, tannic, tartaric as well as mixtures of two or more of these acids.
While the acidifying agent can be a single compound, it is preferable that the acidifying agent be a combination of aforementioned acids present in ratios and concentrations which is sufficient to provide a pH in the resulting use solution below 5. Typically two or more acids will be employed in combination with one another. The preferred combinations are those which include at least one acid from the group including lactic, phosphoric and citric acid together with other above-listed acids. In such instances it is preferred that the acidifying agent constitute 40% to 60% of the concentrate composition. It is generally preferred that between 25% and 40% of the acidifying component of the composition be lactic acid. When used as a single acidifying agent, the concentration of lactic acid (88%) can be up to 95% of the concentrate composition with between 40% and 95% being preferred. In the most preferred embodiment, the acidifying agent used in the composition includes lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and citric acid. The ratio of lactic acid (88%), phosphoric acid (75%), citric acid (100%) preferably is 40:10:10, 35:12:6, 32:13:5,32:13:3 and 25:10:5. The mostpreferred ratio is 25:10:5 and 32:13:5.
Surface active agents can be selected from surface active and/or emulsifying agents classified by the US FDA as generally regarded as sale (GRAS) and/or classified as food additive, and/or allowed for use on food products and food contact surfaces as those terms are defined by the United States Food and Drug Administration in the Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 21, Parts 178, 184, and 184 or which have low toxicity and have been approved for specific uses by applicable regulatory agencies. These surfactants and/or emulsifying agents include free acid forms or salt forms (e.g. the ammonium, sodium potassium, calcium and magnesium salts) of anionic surfactants having at least one hydrophobic group. The hydrophobic group contemplated herein consists of substituted or unsubstituted -alkyl, n-alkenyl, -alkylbenzyl, or alkyl (monomethyl and dimethyl) napthalene groups with the length of alkyl chains equivalent to 6 to 16 carbon atoms. The surface active agent also includes at least one hydrophilic group from the group containing monocarboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid, sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate and phosphonite groups as well as combinations of these groups.
The concentration of the surface-active agent in the sanitizing composition of the present invention is broadly defined as that sufficient to maintain the various component thereof in suitable solution. The surfactant is generally present in an amount between 0.001% to 20% by composition volume. The most preferred concentration of the surface-active agent is between 4.0% and 6.4% by volume.
The anionic surface active and/or emulsifying agents may be used in concentrations ranging from about 10 ppm to about up to 200,000 ppm. The anionic agent can be used as a single molecular species or in combination with other anionic molecular species.
Surfactant/emulsifying materials which are contemplated for use herein include:
(A) C6-C16 alky- and alkyl sulfonates;
(B) C6-C16 alkyl- and alkenyl ether sulfates;
(C) C6-C16 alkyl diphenyl ether disulfonates;
(D) dialkyl- and dialkenyl sulfosuccinates in which the alkyl or alkenyl groups independently contain from six to sixteen carbon atoms;
(E) alkyl benzene sulfonates in which the alkyl group contains from six to sixteen carbon atoms;
(F) napthalenesulfonates;
(G) alkylnapthalenesulfonates in which the alkyl group contains from one to six carbon atoms;
(H) the mono- (n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) acyl esters of C2-C4 hydroxylated monocarboxylic acids, in which the alkyl or alkenyl group contains from six to sixteen carbon atoms;
(I) the mono- (n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) acyl esters of C2-C4 hydroxylated dicarboxylic acids, in which the alkyl or alkenyl group contains from six to sixteen carbon atoms;
(J) the mono- (n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) alkyl esters of C2-C4 dicarboxylic acids, in which the alkyl or alkenyl group contains from six to sixteen carbon atoms; and
(K) C4-C16 fatty alcohol sulfoacetates.
By the term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d as used throughout this specification and the appended claims is meant a monovalent straight or branched chain hydrocarbon radical which can be thought of as derived from a saturated acyclic hydrocarbon by removal of one hydrogen atom. By the term xe2x80x9calkenylxe2x80x9d is meant a monovalent hydrocarbon radical containing one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, which radical can be thought of as being derived from an unsaturated acyclic hydrocarbon by the removal of one hydrogen atom.
The term xe2x80x9csalt of a mono-(n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) acyl esters of C2-C4 hydroxylated monocarboxylic acidxe2x80x9d means an ester salt of a hydroxylated monocarboxylic acid, such as lactic acid, which has been formed by esterification of its hydroxyl function by another acid, and in which its carboxyl function has been converted to a carboxylate salt. An example of such a compound is so-called xe2x80x9cdecyl lactylatexe2x80x9d which is the ester formed by esterifying the hydroxyl group of lactic acid with decanoic acid, and converting the carboxyl function of the lactic acid portion of the resulting ester to the carboxylate salt form.
Similarly, the term xe2x80x9csalt of a mono- (n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) acyl esters of C2-C4 hydroxylated dicarboxylic acidxe2x80x9d means an ester salt of a hydroxylated dicarboxylic acid, such as hydroxymalonic acid, which has been formed by esterification of its hydroxyl function by another acid, and in which its two carboxyl functions have been converted to a carboxylate salts.
By the term xe2x80x9csalt of a mono- (n-alkyl) and mono (n-alkenyl) alkyl esters of C2-C4 dicarboxylic acidxe2x80x9d is meant an ester-salt of dicarboxylic acid, such as succinic acid, which has been formed by esterification by an alcohol at one hydroxyl group.
Preferred anionic surface active agents for the composition of the present invention include free acids or ammonium, sodium, calcium, potassium, or magnesium salts of 1) alpha olefin (C4-C16) sulfonic acid; 2) C4-C16 fatty acid isethionic acid; 3) C4-C16 fatty alcohol sulfoacetic acid; 4) decyl lactylic acid; 5) lauryl sulfuric acid; and 6) 1,4-dihexyl sulfosuccinic acid.
The surface-active agent is preferably selected from alkali salts of (C6-C16) n-alkylbenzene sulfonic acids, (C6-C16) n-alkylbenzene sulfonic acids and (C6-C16) n-alkenyl sulfonic acids. The surface-active agent may include any one of the aforementioned compounds either alone or in combination. The most preferred surface-active agent is sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. The concentration of the surface-active agent is selected from 0.001% to 20%. The most preferred concentration of the surface-active agent is between 4% and 6.4%.
The sanitizing and antimicrobial composition of the present invention also contains at least one sequestrating or chelating agent. As used herein the terms xe2x80x9csequesteringxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cchelatingxe2x80x9d are used interchangeably to lean compound which, among other functions, will act to reduce cloudiness or turbidity which might otherwise result when the compositions are dissolved or admixed in hard water. Components which may be employed for these purposes include organic compounds such as citric acid, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), as well as organic salts thereof such as calcium citrate, calcium diacetate, isopropyl citrate, monoisopropyl citrate, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, stearyl citrate, and sodium gluconate. Components may also include inorganic compounds sodium acid phosphate, calcium hexametaphosphate, monobasic calcium phosphate, disodium phosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium phosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate. Materials suitable for use in the composition of the present invention are those chemicals classified as GRAS or as suitable for food additive by the US FDA.
The sequestering agent is selected from at least one of the following: citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate and EDTA with the most preferred sequestering agent being sodium acid pyrophosphate. The concentration of sequestering agent in the concentrate is contemplated between 2% to 10% by volume with the most preferred concentration being between 4% and 6% by volume.
Suitable carrier or solubilizers are selected from water and/or various alcohols such as ethyl and propyl alcohols or glycols or a mixture thereof. Water, ethyl alcohol, and propylene glycol are preferred solubilizing agents with water being the most preferred solubilizer. The concentration of water is selected from 20% to 80% w/w. The most preferred concentration is between 50% to 70%.
The composition may additionally include emulsifying or surface-active agents such as lecithin, polysorbate 60, polysorbate 65, polysorbate 80, sucrose fatty acid esters, salts of stearoyl 2-lactylate and other agents classified as food additive or GRAS by the US FDA.
As indicated previously, the present invention contemplated the production of a sanitizing composition which can be used on both food as well as food contact surfaces to clean and sanitize the target surface. The acidifying agents preferably used in the composition include lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and citric acid. The ratio of lactic acid (88%): phosphoric acid (75%): citric acid (100%) preferably is between 40:10:10 and 25:13:5 withratios such as 40:10:10, 35:12:6, 32:13:5, 32:13:3 and 25:10:5 being particularly advantageous. The most preferred ratios are 25:10:5 and 32:13:5. The surface-active agent is preferably selected from alkali salts of (C6-C16) n-alkylbenzene, (C6-C16) n-alkyl and (C6-C16) n-alkenyl sulfonic acids. The most preferred surface-active agent is sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate. The concentration of the surface-active agent is selected from 0.001% to 20%. The most preferred concentration of the surface-active agent is between 4% and 6.4%. The sequestering agent is selected from citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate and EDTA. The most preferred sequestering agent is sodium acid pyrophosphate. The concentration of sequestering agent is selected from 2% to 10%. The most preferred concentration is 5%. Water and propylene glycol are preferred solubilizing agents. Water is the most preferred solubilizer. The concentration of water is selected from 20% to 80% w/w. The most preferred concentration is between 50%-70%.
The composition is prepared by first mixing liquid ingredients such as lactic acid, phosphoric acid and water. The solid ingredients, namely citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, are then dissolved in the solution to make the final composition. The embodiment of the invention is illustrated by following examples, which are illustrative and not to be construed as limitative of the scope of the present invention.